Scott Unsworth: Working out how to use social media

A few weeks ago Orca launched its Facebook page.

We'd been talking for a while about how we could utilise Facebook as a tool to communicate with Orca customers and interested parties.

It can be a bit daunting for a business to enter the social media environment - is anyone going to care, how will be received, what information do people really want.

It's something you really need to commit to doing - a week with no new content in Facebook-land is an eternity. I'm pleased to say our fan base is growing steadily, and we're working out what content people really appreciated.

I read some research a few weeks ago that noted that in the US the top reason to "friend a brand" on Facebook was to receive discounts. Second was because the person is a customer of the company and third was a desire to show others that they support the brand.

Obviously Facebook has been well explored by large, global brands, and brands whose core customer base is in the Gen Y demographic.

But if you have a clear strategy for what you want to achieve from a Facebook page, the benefits to small businesses, even with a more mature customer base can be equally valuable.

The same research showed that more than half of Facebook users would be more likely to purchase from brands they are fans of. 60 per cent said their Facebook fandom increased the chance they would recommend a brand to a friend.

Given the trend for people to look online for research and recommendations from friends and strangers, ahead of traditional media and businesses, it's clear that Facebook and other social media are important tools for brands.

The best case scenario is creating a community of brand champions, who create online chatter that encourages others to support your brand.

Social media can go wrong for brands, and when it does word can spread fast and wide. But as long as your use of social media is part of a wide strategy to improve interaction with customers I would say the benefits outweigh the risks.

A few years ago blogging seemed like a different world for a lot of people, and talk of web 2.0 would cause many people to glaze over.

Tweeting still can still generate a blank stare from a lot of people, but if you can't provide the information your customers want, in the format they are accustomed to, you risk being left behind.

Orca's new Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/orca.performance. Please visit and check out how we're using social media/networking.

As a test we have 20 sets of Orca caps and run socks to send out to every fifth person who becomes an Orca Facebook fan and posts that you read the Orca blog on nzherald.co.nz blog. I'll report back in a future blog on if it's been a success!


Scott Unsworth